Love & Basketball
by dbthenextgeneration
Summary: As Huey and Riley try to lead their basketball team to victory, Huey tries to understand why he is drawn to the game. Huey also faces a new challenge; understanding his blossoming feelings for Jazmine Dubois. HxJ, other pairings Ch. 2 up!
1. The Big Shot

**Hey everybody how's it going? dbthenextgeneration here and this is my first Boondocks fanfic titled Love & Basketball, which is about(you guessed it) love and basketball. This story will have a couple of Ocs in it(I needed them to make the basketball team) but I promise the story primarily features the original Boondocks characters we all know and love. Oh and please note that this fic is in no way related to the film "Love and Basketball" (I just thought the title was fitting lol) **

**But enough of that, let's just get to the story!**

**Disclaimer: The Boondocks are awesome, and they also only belong to Aaron McGruder **

**Ch.1: The Big Shot**

"He brings the ball to the top of the key, directing traffic."

_Fifteen seconds left, I need to create some space._ He thought

He pointed to the spot on the ground next to where a skinny white guy was guarding him. His teammate got the message and quickly moved to block him.

"Jones sets a screen, catching Anderson of guard, Ellison rotates to the ball handler..."

A shorter white guy hastily approached him to make up for his teammates defensive lapse.

_They're moving too fast, time to pass. _

He cupped the ball in his left and tossed it to the point guard in the corner who quickly threw it back.

"The ball is passed to Williams, who swings it back..."

_Five seconds, I need to take it._

He dribbled to the top of three-point arc and took one last desperate shot...

"He takes a threeee..."

And it went in.

"GOOD! ITS OVER! HUEY FREEMAN HITS THE THREE!"

The crowd erupted into a hysterical frenzy, as Huey calmly walked off the court, knowing he'd done his job.

* * *

Sixteen year old Huey Freeman sat in the locker room of the Meadow Lark Lemon Arena, quietly collecting his thoughts as his teammates celebrated their latest victory in the YMBQ (Young Mens Basketball Qualifier). Huey had done some growing over the last six years, now standing a respectable 6'1, which contributed to his basketball success, but had more or less maintained his same appearance from his earlier years , still sporting his trademark afro and straightforward attitude. As he studied the overzealous reactions of his teammates to what Huey would call just the end of another game of basketball, he noticed his brother and also teammate, fourteen year old Riley Freeman was uncharacteristically quiet during this moment, but also not so uncharacteristically staring daggers at Huey.

Huey's thoughts were interrupted however as Coach Simms, a short balding black man with glasses, entered the room. He had a look of satisfaction on his face as he raised his hands to quiet the rowdy team.

"Good game gentleman, I'm proud of the all the work and effort you put into this season."

Power forward Ethan Jones, a chubby 6'6 black kid with a buzz cut who Huey (and everyone else), identified as the team's best player, stood up and proposed a toast to the revolutionary.

"Hey coach, show some love fo' our boy Huey!"

Coach Simms gave the boy a warm smile, "E.J.'s right Huey, you really came through for us today."

Huey just nodded calmly, not wanting any extra attention. That was taken care of by his younger brother, who decided it was a fitting time to air his grievance with Huey.

"Yo, nobody even goan talk about how Young Reezy got robbed from his moment?" Riley demanded as he began pointing a finger at the revolutionary. "I wuz OPEN! And Huey's hatin' ass don't pass me the ball."

Huey shook his head. Guess that explained why Riley seemed so pissed off. Honestly Huey had no real interest in the so-called glory and fanfare that came with playing on the Woodcrest Bucks. In fact he probably would of passed his brother the ball but the boy was busy showboating, something a young white teammate with spiky brown hair pointed out.

"Riley you weren't even looking." point guard Micheal Williams chimed in. "It looked like you were posing for some girls in the crowd."

"You see them bitches? They wuz fine as hell. They be eyein' a nigga all game." Riley gloated as he puffed up his chest.

Huey shook his head. Riley's logic never failed to baffle him.

"Man if Huey passed me the ball I wud have made the big shot an be gettin' all up in that pussy, why you gotta hate nigga?"

"Nigga you no you neva had no pussy..." Ethan laughed.

"Shut up!"

"Riley do we need to do this now?" the coach sighed.

Huey began to clench his fists. Usually he would have ignored his siblings outbursts, but he had really gotten irritated with his brother's behavior on the court over the last few games. The cocky attitude and me-first mentality was a poor reflection of the few black players in this league. Huey knew that himself and the few other African-American guys were going to be looked at differently, and but there was no way he was gonna let Riley project them as a stereotype. Before Huey could say anything though, the fro-hawk wearing Jerome Jackson stood up waving his cell phone in the air.

"Hey, I got you Reezy! I got those bitches digits at halftime. You my boy so I'll hook you up."

"Fo real?" Riley asked as his the anger in his face faded away. "Aite we all good coach, my bad."

Huey sighed and remained silent. He still believed his brother was acting foolishly, bet decided not make an issue of it. The last thing he wanted to do was fight with his brother and create a 'nigga moment.'

Coach Simms just shook his head at the boy's ridiculousness, but decided it was best to change the subject.

"Anyway..." he continued. "As I was saying, we've been doing great work so far and we are about to qualify for the league championship."

"That being said, I am asking everyone of you to keep your heads in the game. Enjoy the win today but remember that we got a huge game next week."

_'In other words, don't act like a bunch of stupid niggas.'_ Huey thought. And deep down he knew that his brother would soon find a way to do that as he caught a glimpse of a smirk appearing on the gangsta-wannabes' face.

"Ok men Bucks on three."

The team then huddled in the middle of the locker room as they put there hands began their chant.

"One, two, three..."

"BUCKS!"

* * *

Back at the Freeman house Riley was still buzzing about the game, talking about how great _his_ performance was.

"You be seein' me Grandad, I was crossin niggas up hittin jumpshots. Man I know I could go pro, gettin the bitches and the benjamins."

Robert Freeman however, was paying very little attention to his grandson since he was preoccupied with trying to figure out how to work his new cell phone.

"Boy would you shut the hell up, I'm trying to figure out how to work this textin' machine." the old man snapped as fumbled with the phone.

Huey, who had just entered the room with a newspaper tucked under his arm raised an eyebrow at his grandfather's behavior.

"Grandad its called a Sidekick. And why are you still trying to use that thing? You've got arthritis."

"Damnit I know that boy but this cutie pie I met on myspace always wants to talk usin' this thing." Grandad explained as he fumbled with device. "I can't even read this shit, the fuck is a "brb"?"

"It means be right back, man dis old nigga can't even read..." Riley grumbled. Which earned him the privilege of getting the Sidekick tossed at his head. "Ow! Why you gotta throw stuff Grandad!"

Grandad just grunted in response and flopped into his chair, clearly finished with texting.

"Forget this, no bitch is worth all this trouble." the old man grumbled. "Young bitches with they textin and chat rooms, roughin' up an old man's arthritis..." He glanced over at Huey who was reading the paper.

"What's with you boy? You ain't even talk about your game since you got home."

"What's to talk about? You were there, you saw it." Huey answered without looking up.

"Yes I saw it boy, but you ain't even talk about your game winnin shot. That's the sorta thing that would get niggas braggin fo weeks in my day."

"Man Grandad, we don' need to be hearin bout yo wack ass nigga playin' days..." Riley snorted before Grandad slapped in the back of the head. "Ow!"

"We played with fundamentals in my day, not this flouncin criss cross show off bullshit you kids are doin."

"Oh shit that reminds me," Riley began with a glint in his eye, "Grandad I'm goin out to J.J's to celebrate the game."

Huey shook his head, he knew Riley was up to something. Not like it mattered though, Grandad would never let Riley go to one of Jerome's parties. Unless he wanted his grandson coming home wasted or with a kid on the way.

"Boy you no I don't like you going to those parties with all them keg walks and them fast girls."

"Keg stands." Huey corrected his grandfather.

"Naw naw Grandad, its just some guys from the team I ain't gonna cause no trouble."

Usually Grandad would just end the conversation there, but this time he stroked his chin, "Hmm..."

Uh oh. Grandad is hesitating, Huey knew he'd have to say something.

"Grandad I don't think that's a good idea."

"There he go hatin' again." Riley snapped at his brother. "You wrong Huey, the team was throwin this party jus fo you and you go and turn yo back on em. I jus thought one of the Freeman brothas needed to represent."

The old man glared at the revolutionary, "Huey, you fucked up boy. You go to that party Riley, since you seem to appreciate your teammates."

"Yeah thats crackin nigga!"

_Of course._ Huey thought, extremely annoyed. It looks like Riley had this plan of attack all along. Huey had to give his brother credit, this time he actually thought ahead.

But Huey was still going to kill him.

"But you better be home by ten or you'll be getting an ass whoopin'." Grandad warned as he pointed at his belt.

"I got you Grandad, I got you." Riley said as began to race out the door. "Deuces!"

_As soon as I find him I'm gonna kick his ass. _Huey swore. _But for now, I'll let him think his gonna get away with this._

* * *

Several hours have passed and Huey had returned to reading the paper on the couch, while Grandad was upstairs.

Initially, Huey's plan was to go after Riley and break up that ridiculous party his idiot teammates were distracting themselves with. But that plan was ultimately put on hiatus after Huey realized that he had no clue where Jerome lived. So he decided he might as well enjoy the peace and quiet in the house while he waits for Riley to come home and face his death...

_Ding dong_

Damn.

_Ding dong_

"Boy, you better answer that damn door!"

Huey begrudgingly rose from the couch. Was a little bit of quiet time too much to ask?

He approached the front door and pulled it open and was greeted by two familiar faces, Jazmine and Tom Dubois.

"Hi Huey!"

"Hey Jazmine." Huey responded. "Mr. Dubois."

"Huey! The hero!" Tom greeted enthusiastically. "That was an incredible shot you made, you really turned the Bucks around."

"Yep." Huey acknowledged, his face remaining expressionless. Tom smiled, looking a bit uncomfortable. Huey surmised that he expected a more dramatic response, something everyone else seemed to want from him as well.

"You need something?"

"Uh yes actually," Tom answered as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Robert called me over to help him give his myspace page a makeover." He held up a camera for Huey to see.

"Ugh. Whatever, he's up in his room." _That old man just can't stay away from the web._ The boy thought

Tom nodded and made his way upstairs while Jazmine followed Huey into the living room and sat next to him on the couch. Jazmine, like Huey, was growing up. In the last five years she had gotten taller and stood at 5'4(though she looked like a dwarf compared to Huey). She also still maintained her cheering disposition and her slight naivety from childhood.

The biggest change Jazmine had adopted thought the years was that hair was now straight(well mostly straight, there were still some loose curls). The girl had tried to straighten her hair for years, and had finally found a combination of hair-care products that helped her tame her frizz long enough to use her hair straightener successfully.

Everyone seemed to love Jazmine's new look, well everyone except Huey. The first time he saw the new-Jazmine and she asked him what he thought of it, he said it was "a disgrace to her African heritage." This of course made Jazmine cry, which caused Huey to rethink his stance, and say "I guess its okay to express your white side, as long as you always remember that you're really black." To this day Jazmine could stil not figure out what caused Huey to change his mind, since he was never one to compromise his beliefs, no matter who's feelings were hurt.

But then again, they were best friends, and why let a hairstyle choice change that?

"I loved your game Huey, it was so awesome!" Jazmine said as she scooted closer to the boy. "Cindy and Caesar had fun too. Caesar called your winning shot one of the great moments in the history of Woodcrest black men."

"Well I guess its a blessing to be mentioned with the one other black man honored in Woodcrest." Huey replied sarcastically.

"Who's the other guy?"

"The guy who opened that fried chicken place."

Jazmine giggled, though she really had no idea if Huey was joking or being serious. But she abandoned those thoughts when she remembered what she wanted to ask him.

"Did it feel amazing?"

"Huh?" Huey responded as he looked up from the paper, raising a trademark eyebrow.

"What do you mean "huh"?" Jazmine questioned with excitement in her voice. "The shot Huey! Wasn't it just incredible to be a hero for your teammates and all the people cheering for you?"

Huey shrugged his shoulders, "Eh."

"EH? Is that it?" Jazmine asked.

"Yep." Huey said simply as he returned to reading. "Heroes are people that do things like aid the Haiti earthquake victims, not a niggas who can shoot basketballs."

Jazmine frowned at him, "You cannot enjoy anything can you Huey Freeman?"

"I could enjoy reading the paper if you stopped bothering me."

Jazmine sighed, Huey was definitely insisting on being himself today. She could deal with that, she did really enjoy the time spent with the boy, but she was really getting bored watching Huey read. Jazmine then decided to start poking Huey in his side to pester him.

"Lets go do something Huey."

"We are doing something."

"No your reading the paper and I'm watching you read the paper."

"Yes, thats doing something."

"But I'm boooooored." the mulatto whined. "Lets play a game!"

Huey sighed as he looked up from his paper, "Ok Jazmine we'll play a game."

"Really?"

"Its called "The Quiet Game", I'll start." Huey said simply as he returned to his reading.

Jazmine looked devastated. "Aw, come on Huey."

"You just lost ten points."

"Hey, thats not fair..."

"That's another ten points."

"But your talking..."

"Questioning me costs you twenty points."

"Your a meanie."

"Attempting to insult me costs you thirty points."

Before Jazmine could find a way to lose more points, her cell phone started to ring. She checked the caller id and saw that it was none other than her perky, blond best friend Cindy McPhearson.

"Hey Cindy!"

"Hey girl! What you up to right now?"

"Taking phone calls costs fifty points." Huey said loudly.

Jazmine stuck her tongue at the boy before answering Cindy. "Just hanging out with Huey at his house."

"Well isn't that surprising, you just _looooove_ being around that boy." Cindy teased.

Jazmine began to blush heavily as she glanced up at Huey, hoping he didn't hear what was said. Huey just raised an eyebrow at her and resumed his reading.

"Never mind that Cindy, what are _you_ doing right now? I can barely hear you."

"Just hanging with Ceez at this crackin' party!" the blond replied cheerfully. "I'm surprised you didn't know, it's at the house of one of the guy's on the basketball team."

"Really? I didn't no there was a party today..."

This caught Huey's attention, "Wait, what party?"

"Just a party Cindy's at thrown by one of your teammates." Jazmine informed him.

_I've got you now Riley._ He thought "Ask her where it is."

Jazmine gave the revolutionary a puzzled look but obliged, "Hey Cindy where are you?"

"Um the party is like two blocks away from the park."

"Its two blocks away from the park Huey." Jazmine relayed.

Huey nodded and rose from the couch. "Perfect."

Jazmine had no idea what was going through Huey's head, but decided it would be fun to find out."Hey Cin I'll call you back."

"Aite girl but try to get down here, its CRAZY!"

Jazmine hung up the phone and followed Huey to the doorway, where he was putting on his coat.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To stop the party."

"Oooooh can I go?"

"No." Huey said flatly.

"B-but why?"

"Because this isn't a game Jazmine I need to keep those idiots from doing something stupid."

Huey realized his tone may have been a bit harsh when he saw tears begin to well-up in the mulatto's eyes, he knew what was coming next.

"Wait Jazmine don't..."

"Waaaaaaah!" the girl bawled. "M-m-my best friend doesn't want to spend time with m-m-meeeeee!"

If there was one thing in the world that Huey really hated, (and there were plenty of things he hated) it was the sound of Jazmine crying. It just made him feel bad to see Jazmine so upset, and that in turn made him feel even worse since he was allowing her emotions to affect him. Huey decided it was best just to relent.

"Ok, ok damnit! You can come!" Huey submitted as he covered his ears "Just stop crying!"

"R-r-really?" Jazmine sniffled. Huey nodded as he uncovered this ears.

"Yes, just no more waterworks."

"Yay!" Jazmine cheered. "We're going on an adventure!"

Huey sighed, the girl could be so childish sometimes. But she at least stopped crying, and he honestly liked the idea of hanging out with Jazmine for a little while.

But he wasn't about to let her know that.

Huey made his way upstairs to his Grandad's room in order to inform him that he and Jazmine were going out.

"Grandad me and Jazmine are-" the boy began but stopped suddenly when he saw what was going on the room "God Grandad, what the fuck?"

Granadad was streched out on his bed, wearing what looked like a speedo, and had his backside facing Tom who was quickly snapping pictures.

"What the hell you want boy? I'm working on my myspace portfolio."

"Ugh, nothing! Me and Jazmine are going out, we'll be back later." Huey as he quickly made his way out of the room, covering his eyes. "Damn!"

"This is gonna really knock the socks off those ladies Robert. Now just make love to the camera..." Tom instructed as he took more pictures, not even noticing Huey coming in the room.

"Calm yo ass down Tom, don't start gayin this up." Grandad snapped as he began to pose again "Now hurry the hell up, I wanna post these quick so I can get sum tonight!"

As Huey made his way to the staircase (and trying to repress what just happened), he suddenly got a weird feeling and decided to head to his room. When he got there Huey headed towards the closet and rummaged through it until he found what he was looking for; his katana.

For some reason, he felt like he was gonna need it.

* * *

**How was it? Not the best fic I know but I promise it gets better! **

**The next chapter's gonna shed some light on some the stuff introduced in this chapter, like how the bball team came to be, how Huey and Riley got involved, and why Huey's so nuts about stopping the party. Oh and of course a little HueyxJazmine romance thrown in as well ; )**

**I have really high hopes for this story so if you enjoyed it please throw a review my way!**

**Up next, Ch. 2: Makin' the Team**


	2. Makin' The Team

**Alright chapter 2 is here! First off I want to thank DarkPhoniexSaga, DaveTheWordsmith, and MzMinni3 for the reviews. I'm glad you guys like the story so far, I'll try my best to keep the updates going.**

**Anyway, this chapter is gonna give a backstory to the stuff I introduced in chapter 1. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: The Boondocks belong to Aaron McGruder. Soooo yeah...**

ooOOoooooOOOooooOooo

**Ch. 2: Makin' The Team**

Huey and Jazmine, on their way to Jerome's party, quietly sat in the back of the 10:45 bus to Meadow Lark Lemon Park. Huey normally would take issue with sitting in the back of the bus (that's what he believed the white people wanted him to do), but people at the front of the bus recognized him from the game and pestered him with questions about his winning shot. Huey silenced his fans with an icy glare and decided to move to the back to avoid attention.

Huey really didn't want to take the bus, but Grandad's car Dorothy was padlocked in the garage to keep Riley from taking any more joyrides. But that didn't matter, the bus ride just gave Huey more time to focus on his objective.

Jazmine, meanwhile, was quietly studying the boy while twiddling her thumbs. She saw Huey had his eyes closed and arms crossed, like he always did when he was concentrating. But what was really odd about the revolutionary was that he was carrying a katana on his back.

"Huey?" Jazmine suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?" Huey answered without opening his eyes. Jazmine began to feel uncomfortable and grew silent again.

"Um, never mind." the mulatto said. She wanted to know why Huey had a martial arts weapon on him, but wasn't sure she wanted to know what he planned to do with it.

_Hopefully he won't cut anybody, I don't want him to go to jail. _Jazmine thought, remembering her father's lectures about jail and anal rape.

Another few minutes passed, and Jazmine was once again growing restless.

"I'm bored again Huey." she groaned.

"And?" Huey asked with one eye open.

"What do you mean and? This is boring, I thought this was gonna be fun."

Huey shrugged his shoulders, "I told you not to come."

This is when a young Mexican boy sitting nearby decided it was smart to but in to the conversation.

"Man forget this dude." the boy said smoothly as he combed his hair back. "You roll wit me girl, I'll make sure you neva bored."

"Aw, thanks. But I'm fine." Jazmine politely declined.

"Come on girl, you know you real cute..." the guy was persistent, which was starting to annoy a certain somebody.

"You do see that I have a sword right?" Huey interrupted icily.

The young man glared at Huey, who met his gaze with hard eyes. The boy then began to feel a bit nervous, and as the bus came to stop he got up and decided it may be best to not challenge the kid with a katana.

"T-this is my stop anyway." the boy shakily said, trying his best to hide his fear. After he exited the bus, Jazmine glanced outside the window and saw the boy running full speed down the street.

"Wow Huey, you really scared him." she noted.

"He shouldn't have been acting stupid." Huey responded simply.

Jazmine giggled, sometimes Huey's behavior really confused her, but it was entertaining nonetheless. That entertainment was short lived though, as the two teens once again sat in silenced. But before Jazmine became bored again, she suddenly renumbered something that had been bothering her for a while.

"Hey, I just realized something." Jazmine suddenly said.

"Good for you."

"You never told me anything about this basketball team you're on." the mulatto continued, ignoring the remark.

Huey glanced up and scratched his chin, "Huh, your right."

Jazmine looked at Huey expectantly, "Well?"

"Well what?" Huey asked, getting annoyed. "Jazmine I'm not a damn mind reader, you have to tell me what you want."

"Tell me the story."

The boy sighed, "Jazmine its really long, and I'm not in the mood."

"Huey Freeman, you can't expect people to get interested into what your doing right now without giving them a decent background story!" Jazmine said in a huff, her hands on her hips. Huey looked at her incredulously.

"So you want me to sit here and narrate the whole damn story of the Woodcrest Bucks? I'm _Huey_ Freeman, not _Morgan_ Freeman."

"Huey..." Jazmine begged, giving Huey her best puppy dog eyes. The boy shifted uncomfortably and tried to avoid her gaze, but it was useless.

"Fine..."

"Yay! Thanks Huey!" Jazmine celebrated as she jumped across the aisle to hug her friend. Huey strangely felt his face become hot.

_Damn, why can't I say no to her? _he thought, frustrated with himself. _And why the hell do I feel so weird? _

Huey just took a breath, pushed away his thoughts(and Jazmine, who was still hugging him), and began to explain the story.

"So, as you know Ed Wuncler is a huge gambling addict..."

"Yeah, I remember that time we when were ten and he bet all that money with the Chinese guy on that crazy kickball game." Jazmine said recalling the memory. "Daddy didn't walk right for weeks..."

Huey nodded, "Yeah well that guy came back, but this time he was hosting a basketball tournament."

"So, being the egotistical maniac he is, Wuncler constructed his own arena in Meadow Lark Lemon Park, using cheap foreign labor which he severely overworked and under pai..."

"Huey!" Jazmine yelled to get his attention. She wanted a story, not one of Huey Freeman's famous lectures on underprivileged workers. Huey seemed to get the message and continued.

"Anyway, Wuncler had a court built and bet all of the Woodcrest mortgages that his team, called the Bucks, would defeat the Chinese team. He hired Coach Simms, who agreed to coach if Wuncler donated money to his foundation to educate inner city kids."

"So that's why you were fine with joining!" Jazmine interrupted again, feeling proud she had already figured out why her friend was on the team. However, she realized she must be wrong because Huey looked more annoyed at her than impressed.

"Do not interrupt Jazmine, I'm getting to that part!" he snapped. Jazmine put her hands over mouth and nodded feebly. Huey took a breathe and went on...

"So Mr. Wuncler held an open tryout at his arena..."

ooOOoooooOOOooooOooo

On the well lit court of the Meadow Lark Lemon Arena, Ed Wuncler and Coach Lionel Simms stood and watched as about twenty young men(almost all white) were doing layup drills and practicing jumpshots. All of them hoping to have a shot at playing for the Woodcrest Bucks.

"What do we have so far?" Wuncler asked his coach as they observed the players.

"Well I've got two players that are definitely cut out for the team." Coach Simms answered, first pointing to a 5'10 white guy with spiky black hair.

"Micheal Williams is the perfect point guard for the plays I want to run, and he also has the mentality of a great leader."

Wuncler nodded, his expression impassive. Simms than pointed to a skinny mixed kid with very short black hair, who was around 6'3 or 4. The boy was the only person of color at the the tryout, except for the very tall Indian kid he was giving advise to.

"Then we got Max Davis over there who did great in my defensive drills, and is very intelligent, the perfect guy for the small forward spot."

"Don't forget the ringer I brought you." Wuncler reminded the coach while jabbing a thumb at the 6'8 Indian boy with sleepy eyes and curly black hair Max was talking to. He had a sullen look on his face, but seemed like he was trying very hard to absorb what was being explained to him.

"Sabal Subedi's a little raw, but he has size and I can work with him." Simms acknowledged. "You never did say where you found him."

"Turns out his mother works in one of my...textile factories, hehe." Wuncler chuckled. "They're a poor family from Nepal and are having trouble paying their rent, so I promised to provide them with a free home in Woodcrest if Sabal plays for us. Of course that deal is revoked if we lose to the Chinese..."

"That boy's mother works her ass off in one of your sweatshops and you have the gall to reserve the right to revoke your promise of a house?" the coach exclaimed, glaring at Wuncler.

"Hey, she signed an air-tight contract." the billionaire shrugged. "Besides, if we lose I won't own any Woodcrest homes to give out."

Simms sighed and decided to change the subject, "Anyway, we got the foundation for a good team but its still missing something..."

"Of course its missing something, I can't believe you don't what it is." Wuncler snorted.

OoOOoooooOOOooooOooo

"So what was it missing?" Jazmine asked, getting into the story.

"Black kids." Huey said simply.

"Black kids?"

"Wuncler, like a lot of white people, believes that you can't have a basketball team without black players." Huey explained as he rolled his eyes. "Ignorance triumphs once again."

"Oh." Jazmine said, not knowing how else to respond. "So where did he find them?"

"Coach Simms had heard rumors of a street ball legend named Ethan Jones, who played at a court downtown in one of the poorer neighborhoods."

"Oh, you mean that big guy on your team? He seems so scary when he plays, but Cindy told me she met him and he seemed really sweet..."

"Jazmine can I just tell the damn story?" Huey asked in a tired voice. Jazmine nodded and shut up.

"Anyway, that court also happened to be the place where Riley likes to play pick-up games..."

ooOOoooooOOOooooOooo

Mr. Wuncler and Coach Simms stood and watched as their handpicked players did drills on the street court downtown. When the men arrived, Mr. Wuncler announced to everyone on the court that he was building a team, and the players he selected would get a chance to play in front of a crowd of thousands and achieve fame and glory.

This lead to several hours of rigorous five-on-five games, and the coach and Mr. Wuncler narrowing down the field until they had found the players they wanted. The selected players included the rumored "legend" Ethan Jones, a stocky black kid was was around 6'6 with a buzz cut, and he was living up to the rumors about him. Their was also Jerome Jackson, another black kid with a frohawk and big brown eyes, Carl McPhearson, (a pudgy white kid who was only picked because he was a cousin of female balla' Cindy) and young Riley Freeman. Huey, who had arrived with his brother, was sitting on the nearby bench and reading a book.

"See what did tell ya?" Wuncler scoffed. "These are the fine African specimens we needed."

"I don't agree with your logic, but these players are talented." Simms conceded, as he watched Ethan do a spin move and dunk the the ball with two hands. "Nice move Ethan."

Upon hearing his name Ethan jogged over to the two men, hoping to hear good news.

"Thanks, man." Ethan said, his voice anxious. "So did I make the team?"

Coach studied the boy and slowly nodded, "I think so, but first I'd like to know why you want to play for us."

"I just wanna make a name fo' myself on a bigger stage, maybe get a scholarship to go to a good college." Ethan explained, his eyes on the ground. "I'm sick of just bein' another nigga playing in the slums."

"That's what I like to hear." Simms responded with a smile. That's when Riley and Jerome came over, eager to prove they should be on the team as well.

"Ey! Coach nigga! What about us? You see me makin' jumpas. Young Reezy is a star in the makin'!" Riley bragged as he pounded his chest. "And you know J.J. ain't bad neither."

"Yeah, we a dynamic duo! You gotta let us on Coach!" J.J. added.

"Yes you both do posses certain...qualities I've been looking for." Wuncler said with a glint in his eye. "I say they're on, agreed?"

Coach Simms looked at the two boys, still uncomfortable with their lack of maturity and discipline, but it was undeniable they had talent and thats what he came here to find.

"Yes, though I better not here you call me Coach "nigga" again." said Simms as he shot a look at the youngest Freeman brother. Riley pumped his fist in the air.

"Yea! I got you nig-, I mean Coach."

Simms than sent the boys away to do more drills while he and Mr. Wuncler talk. Wuncler was practically salivating at the thought of his team beating the Chinese team.

"We've got it now," the older man said as he licked his chops. "Oh, I can almost taste all the money I'm going to win."

"No, we're not there yet. But we're very close." the coach said, hoping to curb Wuncler's enthusiasm. "I just need one more piece..."

That's when he noticed Huey sitting on the other side of the court reading. The revolutionary had caught his eye several times when he noticed how he was studying some of the five-on-five games during the few moments he wasn't occupied with his book. Their was something about the look Huey had is eye that intrigued Coach Simms. He needed to know more about him.

"Tell me, who's that over there?"

"Huh," Wuncler said as he snapped out of his day dream. "Ugh, him? That's Huey, Riley's older brother."

"Huey huh?" Simms mused. "What do you know about him?"

"Great kick ball player, nosy little fuck." he said flatly, remembering Huey's many attempts to expose his corrupt business dealings.

For some reason, the coach knew that this kid with the afro was the guy he was looking for. He just knew it.

That's when coach wordlessly made his way across the court to where the boy resided. When he got there, he stood there silently for a few seconds and tried to strike up a conversation.

"How you doing son?" Simms asked hoping to break the ice. Huey didn't look up, or even acknowledge Simms presence.

_This is gonna be tough. _Simms' thought._ He's a pretty intense looking kid._

"I noticed you've been watching the guys play." Simms continued in a friendly tone. "Can I interest you in a game of three-on-three?"

"No thanks." the boy responded, still engaged in his novel.

"Come on, I really need your help." the coach pressed. "I want to see how your brother plays in a full game."

Huey put his book down and looked Coach Simms straight in the eye, trying to read him. The coach returned the gaze, hoping that looking Huey in the eye would allow them to establish some level of trust.

"Please." the coach pressed again. Huey suddenly placed his book down, stood up, and walked towards the court.

_I got him! _Simms thought excitedly._ Now I just need to test him._

He then had an idea and called over one of the players from the arena tryout to come help him.

"Hey Sabal come over here!"

A few minutes later the Coach was standing in the middle of the court, and had assembled two teams of three to play each other in a halfcourt game. The first team included Riley, Ethan, and Jerome. While the second team had Huey, Sabal, and Carl McPhearson. The coach hoped that putting Huey with two more conservative players would allow him to see if the boy embodied that missing factor he needed to complete the team.

"Why Huey's nerd ass playin'?" Riley groaned. "He ain't no good."

"I needed a third player for this team, and I want to see how well you play guys play in a serious game." Simms answered, keeping everyone in the dark about his true plan.

The coach than moved to the top of the key with the basketball in his hands. He was preparing to begin a jumpball between Sabal and Ethan Jones.

"Game's to twenty-one. And I want to see a good, clean game."

Eveyone nodded and the coach tossed the ball in the air. Sabal was taller but clumsy and mistimed his jump, so Ethan won the jumpball and tipped it to Riley.

As Riley handled the ball he immediately called for his brother to guard him.

"C'mon Huey." he goaded, as dribbled between his legs in very loose manner. Huey wordlessly approached his brother and got into a defensive stance.

"I'm gonna cross yo bitch ass..."

As Riley began to make his move, Huey suddenly reached and swiped the ball out of his hands and dribbled to the top of the key. Riley stood in place for a few seconds, dumbfounded, but regained his senses and started complaining.

"Nigga that was a foul!"

Coach Simms shook his head and tried to hide a smile, "Clean pick, no complaining Riley!"

_Perfect._ he mentally noted _Huey knows how to exploit other players when they get arrogant or __careless._

Huey handled the ball, and saw that Riley was eager to redeem himself. As the younger Freeman charged at him Huey, knowing Riley plays poor defense, quickly broke to the right past him. Ethan tried to make up for Riley's mistake and went out to guard Huey himself. This left Sabal wide open, so Huey lobbed the ball to the big man who caught it, and dunked it in with two hands.

"Nice pass Huey!" Simms praised.

"Good move." Sabal quietly said as he walked away from the basket. Huey just nodded at his teammate and focused on the game.

As the game progressed, Huey continued his solid play. He held his brother scoreless, made several key shots, and continuously set up his teammates with open baskets. Eventually, Huey's team was victorious and he left everyone who had just watched him play totally speechless.

"Damn, Riley. Didn't you say yo bro was a book readin' nigga?" Jerome asked the wannabe gangsta after the game. But for the first time in a long while, Riley had nothing to say, he just looked away.

"Coach we gotta have this guy." Ethan urged Simms as he walked off the court.

Simms nodded and looked over at Mr. Wuncler. The billionaire gave him a slow nod, a smirk appearing on his face. Simms walked up to Huey, who was discreetly catching his breath, and made his request.

"How would you like to join the Woodcrest Bucks?"

"I have no interest in playing for a team run by Ed Wuncler." Huey responded, with no emotion in his voice.

"Hey I'm not crazy about you either kid." Wuncler growled. Coach Simms decided to take Huey aside and speak with him

"I'm not asking you to play for Wuncler, I'm asking you to play for me." he perusaded. "Look, I can see that your a very intelligent and complex young man. Your the kind of brotha who has the potential to change the world someday."

"But I can see you have a mind and passion for basketball. I want you to take that passion, and use it to help us win this tournament and save your neighborhood."

Huey looked the coach right in the eye, as he prepared to give the man his answer...

ooOOoooooOOOooooOooo

"Well, what did you say!" Jazmine asked anxiously. She was on the edge of her seat.

Huey raised an eyebrow, "What kind of question is that? I said yes, damn Jazmine I thought that was obvious."

"Oh well yeah, but it just seems so unlike you." "You hate Mr. Wuncler, and you hate all that other stuff that comes with playing on a team."

"I know Jazmine..."

"I mean I've listened to you complain about the ridiculous food prices at the arena, how Mr. Wuncler cuts corners on employee health benefits for his workers there, how its stupid of him to bet all of our homes on a game, how much you hate the way Riley behaves on the court..."

"I know Jazmine!" Huey exclaimed, making Jazmine blink.

"Well, then why did you join?"

"I don't know."

Jazmine blinked again, "What?"

"I. Don't. Know." Huey repeated slowly.

Jazmine felt really confused. This wasn't the answer she expected from Huey. He always had a reason for his decisions. Huey Freeman was definitely not impulsive.

As she continued to ponder Huey's curious decision, Jazmine felt the bus slowly come to a stop again.

"We're here." Huey said quietly.

Jazmine decided the save her questions for later as she and Huey got off the bus. Once they were on the sidewalk, they immediately heard the sound of music being played nearby. Huey scanned the area saw the house where the music was coming from on the next block. There were several people standing in the front yard of the home.

"Well I guess that's the place right ther..." Huey began, but was cut off by Jazmine when she realized who one of the people standing outside was.

"Hey look its Cindy!" Jazmine exclaimed. "CINDY!"

Jazmine sped off towards her friend, Huey tried to stop her but it was too late.

"Jazmine hold on... Damnit."

Huey sighed and began to chase after Jazmine. It was time to crash the party.

OoOOoooooOOOooooOooo

**What did ya think? I think there was just a _tiny_ bit too much focus on Ocs in this chapter. But hey, what can you do? **

**The next chapter's gonna be cool though. Cindy and Caesar are gonna be in it, Jazzy's gonna get into some trouble, and Huey's gonna leave a big impression at that party...**

**Next update should be within a few days, so look out for it!**

**Up next, Ch. 3: Party time!**


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